Slipped
by zElliexmagic
Summary: When Lucy's confession accidentally slipped from her mouth, she thinks she ruined her friendship...but did she really? NaLu


**I was looking at this picture (said picture is the cover image) and I was playing the adorable fluffy NaLu scene in my head…I decided that I wanted to add on my own little story to it. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

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Slipped

Lucy stood there as she watched all the dragons disappear after the Eclipse Gate was destroyed. It seemed magical as she watched them vanish. The golden glow reminded her of stars, which in turn reminded her of her beloved spirits. She was so thankful for her friends and family that she couldn't find words to express it.

Zirconis was distracted just in time before he could kill Wendy and Laxus, thanks to Hisui. She jumped in fright as the Jade Dragon just vanished.

Suddenly, she felt overwhelming emotions hit her in an all-in-one-go. She felt, unspeakable gratitude, bubbly joy that made her want to dance, and desperately eager for another adventure.

Most of all, and more than all her other emotions combined, she felt love…undesirable love that pointed to no one except her forever hero, Natsu Dragneel. Lucy had always known that she was in love with the dragon slayer; one little moment with him and then it suddenly hit her. Before she could even process that she had a _crush_ on the boy, it was too late: she was head-over-heels for him…and she was totally fine with it…There was no other person she'd rather be with.

When the Future-Lucy made it clear that her Natsu was gone, she could literally feel her own heart breaking; she couldn't stand the thought of him not being there. Lucy knew that her future-self must've felt so alone, endangered, and abandoned…on top of Natsu's death, the Fairy Tail guild was annihilated, completely isolating her…

Lucy's heart went out to her future-self…

A once solid feeling in her hands turned to a warm feeling and it brought her out of her thoughts. She raised her hand to find that her future-self's diary was fading away until it was gone like Zirconis, Future-Rogue, and the rest of the dragons.

And she was sure her future-self as well…

Suddenly, something wet slivered down her face and her raised her fingers to touch her cheek. "…I'm crying," she quivered in awe and she realized the love for her forever hero was enormous…and even that word wasn't big enough.

She looked up at Natsu, who had his back to her, as more tears fell and she took off running to him, wrapping her delicate arms around his torso and burring her tearstained face in his scarf.

She felt Natsu turn his head to look at her before turning back around to stare off in the distance…

"Hey…" Natsu started, he could smell salt and he hated seeing Lucy cry…especially after what just happened, "something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing," Lucy replied. She could feel his blood in her hands, coming out of his new scar in his side in the shape of an "x"…all this blood and sweat she was feeling…was all for the future. He fought and bled for _her_. Lucy felt more tears pour out at that thought. "I'm okay…"

Natsu didn't respond.

She felt so warm, pressed against Natsu like this. They were both broken, internally and externally, and being with him like this built itself on top of all of the emotions.

"…Thank you…" She heard her own voice break and she was grateful that Natsu yet again, didn't respond…and he didn't need to.

Lucy could feel his heart beat in her hands, which in turn, quickened hers until it was pounding in her ears…but she could still feel his. That, on top all the emotions, sent her over the edge.

"…Natsu?"

"Hmm?..."

"I love you."

Natsu stiffened…and he wasn't the only one too. Lucy's eyes widened as she realized what she just said. She jumped away from him like she was just burned and slapped her hands to her mouth. Her tears were no longer joyful…

Natsu turned his head to her, giving her a view of his shocked face, before turning his body so that he was completely facing her. "W-what did you just say?"

She didn't have to repeat it; nothing slips by a dragon slayer's ears, especially him. She unconsciously took a step back and kept her hands covering her mouth as her tears continued to flow.

"L-Lucy, you…y-you love me?" His eyes turned from shock to curiosity as he stared intently at her with his jaw silently dropped. It seemed like he was desperate for reassurance.

Lucy didn't want a broken heart, especially after everything that just happened…and she knew Natsu didn't feel the same way…

"Luce-"

"Yo Natsu!" Natsu turned his head to look over at Laxus who was waving them down. Next to him, Wendy was jumping up and down in joy with Mira. "Come here! I wanna congratulate you on your win!"

Lucy took the distraction to her advantage to turn around and bolt as fast as she could go.

"Just a second, Laxus!" When Natsu turned back to Lucy, she was running. "L-Lucy! Wait!" He lunged after her, but only got a few steps before white-hot pain hit his gut like a ton of bricks. He looked down at the wound in his side before falling to his knees, "Ah!" He didn't even notice Mira come to his side, Wendy's healing magic at its work, or Laxus questioning him if he was okay or not, he was too focused on Lucy's running form.

"What's wrong with Lucy?" Carla asked, worriedly, as she followed Natsu's gaze.

"Natsu," Hisui made her way over to him with Arcadios following. She watched Lucy's retreating form as well until it turned a corner and disappeared out of their sight. "What did you say to her?"

Natsu didn't respond, almost like he didn't hear her.

"It's okay," Yukino said before running in the direction Lucy left. "I'll go after her!"

"Make sure she's okay, will you?" Happy asked.

"I will!"

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Lucy's lungs were burning, but she didn't want to stop. Not now…and probably not for a while…

"Wait up, Lucy!"

" _No! Go away, Natsu!_ " She let out a sob as tears blurred her vision. She squeezed her eyes shut as an attempt to block out Natsu's voice and as a result, tripped and fell. She tried to get back up, didn't have the strength.

"Lucy! Are you okay?!"

Lucy backed herself up into a wall next to a pile of rubble and realized that the voice was no where near Natsu's…it was feminine.

"Lucy!" A woman appeared in starry, white robes in front of her before crouching down to check out her bleeding, scraped knees.

"Y-Yukino?"

"Are you alright?"

Lucy wiped her tears away as her bottom lip quivered, "n-no! I'm not okay! I'm not okay at all!" She sobbed as she brought her hands to cover her eyes.

"What's wrong? You looked so happy a minute ago. You were hugging Natsu, but then suddenly jumped away. When he turned to look at you, you ran away! What did he say to you?"

"No!" Lucy violently shook her head. "I-it wasn't him!...Y-Yukino! I swear I didn't mean to say it! It just slipped out of my mouth! It just slipped out! I didn't mean to say it! I swear!"  
"What did you say to him?"

"I…I-" Lucy sobbed and shook her head again.

"Lucy, just calm down I'm not going anywhere."

The white haired Celestial Wizard sat down next to the blonde and offered her shoulder, which Lucy obliged to. She sobbed against her new friend's shoulder as the Yukino rubbed her back soothingly and whispered gentle words in her ear.

It took a few moments, but Lucy finally managed to get her breath and mind back.

"I'm sorry," she said as she pulled away from Yukino's now wet shoulder. "I guess I was in shock or something…I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Lucy. You guys helped me when I needed it."

"Still…thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, can you please tell me what happened?" Yukino pushed Lucy's blonde hair behind her ear like a mother would to a child. She noticed that there were still tears on her pale face and it was giving Lucy a headache.

"I just…" Lucy bit her lip and sniffled. "I was hit with a bunch of emotions at once and it just…it just slipped out."

"What emotions?"

"Happiness, joy, gratitude, and…overwhelming love."

"Love?" Yukino raised an eyebrow before realizing, "y-you don't mean?..."

"I told him I loved him, Yukino! I-I don't know!" She buried her face in her knees. "It just suddenly came out! I-I can't just take something like that back!"

"You love Natsu?"

"I didn't mean to tell him."

"Do you mean it though?"

"W-what?" Lucy lifted her bloodshot eyes from her knees.

"Do you mean it when you told him you loved him?"

"I-I didn't mean to say it!" She repeated for the millionth time.

"That's not what I meant. Do you really, truly love him?"

Lucy blinked at Yukino a few times before exclaiming, "of course! He's perfect…well, maybe not _perfect_ perfect," she laughed at her own words.

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

"Wait what?"

"I don't know Natsu well enough as you do, obviously; I've only known him for a week, along with you. However, if there's something I've noticed, it's the way he looks at you. I was suspicious at first, but seeing him walk out into the arena to get you the first day after your battle with Flare…and when he was so angry when Minerva beat you…it was obvious he's in love with you. I didn't know if you felt the same, but I know now."

Before Yukino had even finished, Lucy was shaking her head. "No, he doesn't feel that way. Natsu would do that for any member of the guild. You saw how Gray, Erza, and the others were angry too, not just Natsu."

"That's true, but I could tell that Natsu was the angriest and I didn't see Gray and Erza go out in the arena to pick you up after your fight with Flare…and when he was fighting against Sting and Rogue, he was fighting to you. I just _knew_ it. He had that look on his face."

Lucy didn't respond as she replayed their moments before and after the fight. She always believed in him. She never once doubted for a moment that he'd lose. Still though, when she heard through the speakers announce that the last one standing was Natsu, she was up in joy.

"Lucy," Yukino started again, "he loves you. I can tell!"

"…I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"How can someone so perfect like him, love someone like me?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"He's perfect, Yukino. Natsu is just so…one-of-a-kind. He's an idiot, he's insane, he's a pig, childish, doesn't give a crap about personal space, hotheaded, and absolutely ridiculous…but he's so special and somehow, those flaws make him even _more_ special! He's so strong and powerful. He always looks after our friends and he won't leave you alone until you tell him what's wrong. He takes revenge on anybody and protects us. He's so perfect…and I'm a brat."

"A brat?! Lucy, you're not-"

"I've heard the rumors…everybody in Magnolia says I'm a brat and I know my guild mates and Natsu agree-"

"Lucy, has Natsu ever once called you a brat? Has it ever come out of his mouth?"

Lucy looked at Yukino for a moment before looking away at a pile of rubble. "Well, no, but-"

"Then he doesn't think you're a brat. Plain and simple."

"He thinks it though. I'm short tempered, I'm smart mouthed, I'm picky, everything's-gotta-be-perfect, everything's-gotta-go-my-way, I'm not pretty, I'm clueless…I'm weird. That's one he always uses…I'm a weirdo. How in the world could a guy like him fall in love with a weirdo like me? I just wanted to stay as his best friend and I screwed it up! I destroyed our friendship with just three words!"

Lucy was crying again and the white haired girl rubbed her back, "Lucy, I can assure you that you're none of those things! The very first thing I thought about you, before I even knew your name was, 'wow, she's really pretty'."

"Yukino," Lucy sighed, "I appreciate the compliment and your help, really, thank you, but I don't want to get my hopes up…especially after everything that's happened…I just…" she sighed again as Yukino nodded understandably.

"It's okay, I understand completely," Yukino stood up and held out her hand to Lucy. "Come on, I'll take you back to the broken Eclipse Gates."

"No!" Lucy shook her head, "I don't think I'd be able to approach him after when I said!"

"Right, sorry, I'll take you back to the inn where your guild is staying at. What is it?"

Lucy thanked her again before taking her hand and pulling herself onto her weak and tired legs. "It's the Honeybone Inn."

"Okay. I know where that is," Yukino smiled at her, "it's this way."

Lucy mirrored her smile, "lead the way."

She still couldn't believe it, but of three little words that accidently came out of her mouth, she ruined her friendship with Natsu…

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Lucy couldn't even stand in the same room with Natsu for a week, let alone look him in the eyes, but soon enough, she relaxed. Piece by piece, she was able to act normal around him again and she was beyond relieved that her friendship with Natsu wasn't over. They went on a few missions before the Ecliptic Celestial Spirits, the Sun Village, and Tartaros happened, which was at least a month and a half later…and Natsu hadn't brought it up.

Lucy was moping at the rubble of the guild hall as her friends were still licking their wounds from their long, hard war against Tartaros. She traced her broken Aquarius key with her pale, delicate finger before tears came to her eyes, but she promised herself she wouldn't cry again, so she quickly wiped them away.

"Not Natsu…please, not Natsu," She whispered to herself. She lost her mom, her dad, and now one of her closest friends. The last thing she wanted was to lose the love of her life. It was bothering her lately, whether or not he loved her back. He never mentioned her confession. Not once! Not to her or the rest of their guild mates and Lucy tried to figure it out herself whether or not he felt the same, but just couldn't. It was driving her insane!

Fine then, if he wasn't going to bring it up, then Lucy would have to…and around this time was when he and Happy would break into her house so she better head home.

When she shut her front door, she immediately called his name, "Natsu!"

It was weird when there was no reply, but she just walked up the stairs to her bedroom where he'd most likely be, sleeping, "Natsu! We need to talk!"

That's weird…her bedroom is empty.

Lucy ripped the sheets off her and begun to get worried when there was no annoying blue cat and a dragon slayer sleeping in it. "Natsu, where are you?!...Happy! Are you here?!"

When she glanced around, she happened to catch a glimpse of a letter on her desk and hurried over to it. It was addressed to her in Natsu's messy handwriting and she immediately opened it.

…

No…

Lucy didn't realize she was running down the street until people gave her a look for screaming out his name and crying…

It was too late…

She already lost him…

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Never once after that did Lucy give a real smile. Her friends noticed immediately, but didn't get the chance to bug her until she told them what was wrong because the guild was suddenly disbanded, which broke Lucy's heart even further. Since Jason, her boss, didn't know her as well as her guild mates did, it was easy to get away with a fake smile.

However, she caught herself every time…

Everyday before she left the house for work, after she was dressed and ready for the day, she would look in the mirror and smile, trying to give a real one. It was useless though, no matter how much she tried, every time she smiled at herself, it was fake. She would cry herself to sleep at night and would sometimes summon Plue to snuggle with and keep her company until she fell asleep…it was _that_ hard…

However, when in the middle of the Grand Magic Games, after the arena was burned down, she locked eyes with the person she wanted to see the most and gave him a real smile. She knew it was real because she could feel her heart beating again; it was no longer broken.

She was angry though. She wanted to walk up to Natsu and slap him across the cheek for leaving her, but that wasn't the kind of welcome she wanted to give him…and she was sure he didn't want that either.

After she made sure Natsu and Happy were comfortable sleeping on her couch and had enough blankets for warmth, she took a shower to rinse off her stress.

She didn't really know what she was stressed about. Maybe she just couldn't handle being with Natsu after he left her. Maybe it just irked her that he could just come back like nothing had happened, like he never even left.

When Lucy changed into her pajamas and left the room, she saw Natsu sitting in front of her wall, looking up at the information she's gathered on the whereabouts of their friends…and it seemed he was specifically looking at a post-it note that read, "still no sign of Natsu and Happy".

Lucy blinked before putting her hands on her hips, "Natsu! I specifically told you not to come in here!" She kept her voice low because Happy was asleep in the dining room and she didn't want to wake him and the neighbors.

Natsu turned his head to her, "sorry, I wanted to talk to you."

"That couldn't wait until morning?"

"It could, but I couldn't sleep and I could hear the shower running so I figured I'd wait for you," Natsu stood up onto his feet and turned back to the board. "Is this why you didn't want Happy and I to come in here?"

Lucy walked to him and stood by his side and gazed at an article of Cana winning a drinking contest in Hargeon, "yeah."

"Why?"

Lucy sighed and hesitated, "…I miss Fairy Tail and I'm desperate…I didn't want you to know that."

Natsu ran a finger over an article of Bisca and Alzack who stopped a robbery in Onibas. "There's nothing wrong with being desperate to find your friends. Lucy…this is incredible."

"I found a few addresses and sent letters to them…I haven't gotten responses. Maybe…maybe they just don't want me to reach out to them."

Natsu turned to her and gripped her shoulders causing Lucy's eyes to widen in surprise. "Don't say that, Luce. Of course they want you to reach out. They're probably just busy," he then sighed and took his hands off her shoulders, looking off at something. "Honestly, why would the guild disband? We're a family and we should stick together."

His words set a fire in Lucy's soul that enraged her. With a grinding of her teeth, she lifted her hand and slapped him across his cheek, totally catching him off guard.

"What the?!" Natsu jumped back and set his hand against the red handprint. "Luce-"

"Hypocrite!" Lucy shouted, not caring about being quiet anymore, "you're pushing the blame on our friends?! What about you?! Natsu, you were _the first to leave!_ So don't give me that crap!"

Natsu blinked in astonishment at her words, but recovered quickly and shouted, "I wasn't leaving for good! I was going to come back! I was actually on my way back before I ran into you! I didn't know they were going to disband!"

"You still left!" Lucy shouted back, "and you didn't say single word about it to me or anyone else! Why, Natsu?! Why did you leave me?!"

"I left a note!" He defended, "Apparently, you didn't get it! I said I was leaving with Happy to train for about a year! I-"

"No! I got that letter! What I meant was why did you leave _me?!_ "

Natsu opened his mouth to argue back, but her words sunk in and he just stared gawkingly at her, having no idea what to say.

A few minutes past of staring and panting from their yelling. "Honestly," Lucy looked away toward her bed, anywhere but his eyes would do, "I thought I meant more to you than that."

"What?"

"I thought I meant more to you than just a partner. You never barged into any of our friends' houses and fall asleep on their bed with them in it; you only did that with me…and you invited me into your team when we had only known each other for two days." Lucy felt frustration bubbling back up in her again and to release it, she started yelling again, "I thought I meant more to you than just a partner! I thought I meant to you just as much as Happy did!"

"You _do_ mean a lot to me, Lucy! You have no idea how much-"

"Then why didn't you take me with you?!"

"I _wanted_ to take you with me!" Natsu shouted back, "and if I knew the guild was disbanding, I would have!"

"I was so lonely!"

"I didn't think you would've been with our friends!"

"You still could've taken me with you! Why didn't you?!"

"Because I didn't think you'd want to come with me! I figured you wanted to stay at Fairy Tail! I told Happy I was leaving and he said he wanted to come with me!"

"Well why didn't you tell me that you were leaving _to my face?!_ "

"Because I thought you'd try to get me to stay!"

"Well you thought wrong because I would have left with you!"

Natsu's eyes widened at her words, "Lucy-"

"I would've went with you anywhere, Natsu!...even to hell! I'm surprised you didn't know that about me!"

There was silence for about three seconds as Natsu was taken off guard again and Lucy turned around to go back into the bathroom. She planned to lock herself in there until he left the room, but that wasn't what happened when he sighed and spoke:

"Wow…after all this time, you're still in love with me."

Lucy froze in her tracks.

"Speaking of which, that's what I wanted to talk to you about in the first place: your confession about a year ago."

Lucy turned around to face him again, "I can't believe you remember that!...And I didn't mean to tell you that I loved you! It just slipped out! I didn't mean it!"

"Yes, you did," he replied with a sincere face and taking a step toward her. "Maybe you didn't mean to _say_ it, but you meant it. Ever since that moment, I've noticed everything."

"What? You've noticed what?" She raised her eyebrows.

"All your little ways to express your affection to me."

"Are you kidding me? I don't-"

"Yes, you do."

Lucy audibly gulped as Natsu took another step toward her.

"There's no way you can hide it. I've noticed how you'd give me most of the bed space when I'd break in and fall asleep on your bed, I noticed how you'd bake my favorite kind of cookies when it just _happened_ to be a bad day for me, and on missions, at restaurants, when you sum up the total for each of our meals, I noticed that you'd pay for a bit of my food."

Lucy blinked in astonishment; she didn't think he ever noticed any of that.

Natsu chuckled at her shocked expression. She looked like a child who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar! "Yeah, I'm dense, but not _that_ dense." He was directly in front of her now, only a few inches away and he was serious now.

"I left to train for a year so I could get stronger to protect my friends, but my main concern was you."

"I'm not weak," Lucy replied, looking up into his eyes. He was so close, she could feel his breath puff onto her face.

"I didn't say you were. You're strong, Lucy. I know that, but I still need to protect you. You fended for yourself against Tartaros when I wasn't strong enough to protect you…you won and I'm really proud of you, but it cost you a friend. If I was strong enough, you wouldn't have lost Aquarius."

Lucy shook her head, "it's not your fault. You were trapped and you couldn't do anything. You didn't even know what was going on."

"Exactly."

A moment passed before Natsu spoke again, "Lucy, I never got the chance to reply to you…when you confessed to me."

Lucy sucked in a breath and held it impatiently.

"I love you too, Lucy Heartfilia. I always have," Natsu chuckled. "You can breathe now, Weirdo."

Lucy let out a shaky breath that made her head spin and it didn't help that Natsu made her heart go insanely fast. "S-sorry…"

Natsu set his forehead against hers before their noses bumped. "Can I kiss you now?"

She giggled, "I want an apology for leaving me alone for a year first."

Then his lips were against hers, catching her completely off guard, but she didn't resist. She melted almost immediately, literally. His mouth was so hot she felt like he had set her on fire. He had a few times before, but here, she was loving how it burned her! Her legs gave out from underneath her, causing her to fall against him in surprise. He caught her with ease and held her securely against him by wrapping his arms around her.

It was in that moment, Lucy realized that Natsu wasn't wearing a shirt. How come she hasn't noticed before? Well, it didn't matter. Anyway, she could feel his abs and chest muscles through her shirt and every time he would breathe. It would press firmly against her, making her blush furiously.

Lucy decided to be brave, as her fingers curled into his hair, and shyly licked his lips. She sighed in relief into his mouth when he opened it and his tongue met hers. The inside of his mouth was hotter than his kisses, which made her knees buckle again.

When her lungs screamed at her, Lucy pulled back and set her forehead against his.

"An apology…" She shyly opened her eyes to meet his as she caught her breath, "in the form of words, Natsu…"

Natsu chuckled, "oh come on, a kiss is a whole lot better than words." He quickly kissed her again.

"I still want an apology though."

He gave her a sad smile and reached up to caress her cheek, "I'm sorry, Lucy…I'm so so sorry."

Even though she asked for it, he looked and sounded so sincere. She couldn't help but smile.

"I'll forgive you on one condition."

"Which is?"

"You have to promise me that you'll never leave me again. If you do, I'll never forgive you," Her voice broke at the end of her sentence and Lucy looked away before Natsu could see the tears well up in her eyes. It didn't do any good though, he could smell the salt.

Natsu directed her eyes back to his and kissed her again. "The next time I go on a trip, you're coming with me."

"Do you promise?"

"I swear, Luce."

A tear slipped down her cheek and he brushed it away as he bit his lip. He hated himself for hurting her and making her cry. He _hated_ himself for it…

"I love you, Natsu."

"I love you too," he replied with a smile and kissed her one more time for reassurance.

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"I'm extremely happy for you guys," Happy said the next morning, "but did you really have to wake me up?"

"Right," Lucy pat the cat on the back, "sorry Happy."

She should've known they'd wake him up with all the yelling they did last night. He probably heard every word, which seemed like that was the case since he was happy for them.

"We probably woke up the whole city," Natsu commented, making Lucy nod in agreement. She would rather have not done that, but it was too late.

Suddenly, there sounded like someone giving orders outside. In curiosity, Lucy looked out the window and saw the royal army.

"Uh…what's going on?!" She exclaimed, "a bunch of solders standing outside my door is not the kinda thing I wanna wake up to!"

"Oh," Natsu scratched his head calmly, "so they found us already, huh."

"Aye sir."

Lucy's eyes widened as she gawked at him, "the army came looking for you?!"

She knew he had done _something._ When she woke up that morning, and there wasn't a sleeping dragon slayer next to her, she knew he had woken up first. She went through all her stuff, looking for any signs of him and Happy going through her novel, letters to her mother, or just trashing her house. It was a little scary to walk into the living room and see them just sitting calmly on the couch, talking. It seemed like he did something after all. Just what was it?

Suddenly, with a glint in his eyes, Natsu grabbed Lucy's wrist and begun running toward the window. "Let's go, Lucy!"  
"What kind of trouble are you in now?!"

He swooped her into his arms and jumped out the window which shattered it. Lucy remembered that they were on the second floor which caused her to scream in fright that she was gonna hit the ground, but Natsu's grip tightened. "Nothing we can't outrun!" He replied, laughing as she screamed. Happy was close behind.

When they hit the ground, Natsu bolted and the guards came chasing after them which made Lucy panic even more. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! I'M JUST GETTING KIDNAPPED!" She screamed again.

Natsu set her down on her feet then continued running. Not wanting to get caught by the guards, Lucy hurried after him. "WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME, NATSU?!"

Totally ignoring her ticked off look, he flashed her a mischievous smile like a little, rebellious boy and chuckled in excitement. Lucy looked at him and was reminded of the first thing she fell for, his smile.

"I just left a message about Fairy Tail!" He replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "telling everyone we're coming back!"

Lucy looked up then, and saw Mercurius burning. She gasped in fright, but then realized that the top had the Fairy Tail emblem, and below it was the words, "Fairy Tail". Lucy couldn't believe it: Natsu had the _nerve_ to light the royal palace on fire!

"That type of fire goes out super quickly so everything's gonna be okay!" Happy assured her after seeing the horror on her face.

"That's not the only problem here, Happy," Lucy said, calming down a bit and picking up the pace. "How can you just announce Fairy Tail's comeback?"

"Cause we all still believe in it!" Natsu replied with the excitement still in his voice. "We're gonna get everyone together," he turned to her, still running, "and the guild will be better than ever!"

Lucy's eyes widened. Something in his words set the dwindling hope in her heart on fire. The guild will be coming back?! For real?! Something in Natsu's voice reassured her tenfold.

Happy laughed in joy as Natsu flashed her his trademark smile again that made her heart beat faster. She was reminded, once again, why she was in love with him.

"Come on!" Natsu exclaimed, moving his grip from her wrist down to her hand and entwined their fingers.

Lucy felt the joyful tears come into her eyes and a smile spread across her face, "Yeah!"

Even when the army was long gone, they still continued to run as the joy spread throughout Lucy's whole body, making her suddenly mumble, "I'm so in love with you…" while looking toward her favorite person.

It was barely audible to her own ears, thanks to the wind hitting them, but she knew he heard her because he had a smile on his face, and he squeezed her hand.

"I love you too."

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 **Oh gosh! That was sooooooooo long! But it was reaaaaaally awesome so that's okay! Wow! This has got to be my best oneshot yet! I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **-zEllie**


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